Hantei XVII
Hantei XVII was the seventeenth Emperor of Rokugan. Birth Hantei XVI married Doji Hime, but after she suffered four miscarriages, the Empress was put under constant watch. In the year 600 the Imperial Heir was born, and the Emperor immediately took him from Hime's arms, and Hime remained confined to her chambers thereafter. Imperial Histories 2, pp. 108-110 Father His father was a brilliant and capable man, but he also proved to be a brutal tyrant and a paranoid, sadistically cruel man, who ordered to kill four of his siblings, and even his own mother, Otomo Kaoichihime. This led to an uprising of the Imperial Guard in 610, and Hantei XVI was killed by his last surviving brother, Otomo Tanaka, and a purge disposed of the Steel Chrysanthemum's other loyalists. Masters of Court, pp. 9-10 Regency His uncle served as regent until the heir came to age in 616, becoming Emperor Hantei XVII. Imperial Histories 2, p. 113 Emperor Following his ascension to the throne, the young and inexperienced Emperor selected Seppun Hanako as his Imperial Chancellor, Winter Court:Kyuden Asako, p. 24 and granted her own vassal family, the Hanako. Emerald Empire: Third Edition, p. 95 He issued an Imperial edict that granted the Head of the Brotherhood of Shinsei to formally announce any new Fortune selected by the Emperor when the head monk could find an 'auspicious time to do so.' This definition was made to file away dishonorable or frivolous requests indefinitely, as those made by Hantei XVI, the Fortune of Dung or the Fortune of Torture. Way of the Open Hand, p. 10 Rumor It was rumored that Hantei XVII had an insatiable appetite for young samurai-ko. It was not recorded in the Ikoma Histories that an incident with a Crab maiden, who dared to raise her hand in the Imperial presence, almost led to Lion military retaliation. Only Crane and Scorpion diplomacy averted. Way of the Scorpion, p. 30 Returning Art Hantei XVII returned the jade sculpture known as The Council to the Asahina family during his reign. It had originally been a gift to Hantei Retsuhime from the Asahina Daimyo of her generation, Asahina Kamatari. Sacrifices, by Rusty Priske Bell of the Heavens During one of his birthdays the Crane Clan Champion arrived with an enormous bell, and he was the only one who could get a sound from it. During the next winter court the Crane was foiled by the Ikoma Daimyo Ikoma Osudo, who was able to get a chime from the Bell of the Heavens. Way of the Lion, pp. 119-120 Sun Tao Sun Tao, one of the most famuous ronin in Rokugani history began his career among the Lion, during the time of Hantei XVII. Way of the Wolf, p. 29 Conqueror At some point, the Emperor's forces were rumored to have conquered a number of distant islands. It was believed that this focus on military power was what gave the Crab Clan the impetus to invade the Scorpion and to seize Ryoko Owari Toshi in the early seventh century. City of Lies: Player's Guide, p. 14 Death Hantei XVII broke with tradition when he declared on his deathbed that he wanted to be buried in the plains where his wife had been born in Phoenix lands. A great white oak tree grew where his ashes were buried, and a castle was built around the tree to protect it. The castle became known as the Pale Oak Castle, and the plain the Pale Oak Plain. Many believed that the bark from the oak had healing powers.Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 295 Category:Imperial Leaders